Edge
by Shinji Shazaki
Summary: One has to wonder what happened with the Power-8 company.  Would they bother to get rid of the chemical that was dangerous to mutants?  Or would they make a mutant poison on purpose?  Find out.  Read, review, and I hope you enjoy.
1. Old Files

Edge

Prologue: Old Files

[Disclaimer: MARVEL owns "X-Men: Evolution."  AU after "eXtreme Measures."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

"Journal entry 7

Well, it's been four days since I put out an ad to fill up the rest of the house.  Believe it or not, three people decided to show up.  After they showed up, it was all a matter of watching them for a while to see if they were mutants.

Don't forget, I'm not some kind of mutant hunter, though I could be.  I'm a mutant.  It's easier to let some people test-live in my house instead of blatantly putting out an ad for mutants.

The first—well, all of them are runaways.  I don't condone it, but who am I to tell anyone what to do?  In any case, the first is a sixteen-year-old boy named Kris.  He's a bit…immature.  The boy's hair is blond-white from bleach.  Another one drawn into the fashion culture of today.  His parents gave him a car before he ran away when his powers manifested.  It's the flashiest thing I've seen in years.

Kris is flashy himself.  He named himself Volt for his ability to control most aspects of electricity.  Although he deserves a good smack in the head occasionally, I don't.  He's assured me that I don't have to pay the electric bill anymore—he can steal it from something else.

The second is another young man only half a year older than Kris.  His name is Pax.  The boy is quiet, shy, and anything but assertive.  If it were not for me and the last of my housemates, Kris would take advantage of Pax whenever possible.  Pax has been given the nickname Stopwatch from Kris for his ability.  For as long as Pax holds his breath, time will slow to a point where it nearly stops.  Pax doesn't want to use his talent much.  When he found his skill, people regarded him as terrifying.  What could happen when time was slowed was frightening to people.

What can I say of my last housemate?  Her name is Pandora, and she's seventeen.  She's an illusionist.  Disturbing, really.  If you don't know how to get out, you could be trapped.  Pandora's a bit of an introvert.  Very quiet.  Innocent as well.  She's frightened a bit by me.  However, I still like her a great deal.  I'll win her over yet.

Ah, me.  I've not written of myself.  My name's Ian and I'm twenty.  While I am a mutant, that isn't all that's interesting about me.  When I was fifteen, I was diagnosed with split personalities.  Of course, that's because of when my powers manifested.  I was ten at the time, and my parents and I had just been out on an evening walk.  From what I recall, my parents were really rather upper class.  They were the kind that drew muggers.

That night, the muggers decided to kill my parents because they wouldn't give up their money.  When they laughed and turned the gun on me, something in the back of my mind snapped.  Energy shots fired from my fingers, striking them all in the head.  The five men were dead when they hit the ground.  It was at that time that the second part of me showed up.

It drove me to run away, to find a new place to live, to find a way to harness this talent.  I ended up in Bayville, New York.  An old woman took me in rather blindly, and gave me the deed to her house.  That was five years ago.  I had tutors when I was young, and they drove me enough to get past high school.  Upper class parents.  Wonderful for me.  I was sixteen with a high school diploma.  I had a job to pay the bills and food, but I wished I could have some company.  I waited until I could place an ad.  And that was four days ago.  

Pandora was the only person that didn't want a nickname to go with their talent.  My name?  Well, my second part said I should call myself Gunner.  I walk on the edge of everything—including the law."

----------

Ian sighed and leaned back in her chair.  After a moment, she flicked open a lighter and coaxed it to flame.  The black-haired woman smiled slightly as she lit the cigarette.  She had heard that the Xavier Institute was a home for mutants.  Well, if anything was going to happen with her new family, it would happen soon.

_—to be continued—_


	2. Orders

Edge

C1: Orders

[Disclaimer: MARVEL owns "X-Men: Evolution."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

"He went that way officer!  Down that street!  He had a huge bag over his shoulder!"

"Right!  Let's go!"

As Ian watched the policemen run off down the street, she smirked.  It was so easy to act innocent and play-act like she was the victim of an awful thief.  The only thing the gray-eyed woman regretted was the scrape she gave her arm to really pull off the lie.  It stung, but pain faded.  Money was easy.

Ian shifted the bag on her shoulder and started to walk back towards her house.  A mental count made her grin even more.  The money she had just stolen amounted to something near ten thousand.

----------

Pandora ate her bagel quietly, waiting for someone to wake up and join her.  Someone was humming Beethoven's ninth symphony, fourth movement as they strolled into the kitchen.  The seventeen-year-old glanced up to find Ian rummaging in the refrigerator.

The teenager turned her gaze back to the newspaper she was reading, waiting rather patiently for Ian to sit down.  When the woman did, Pandora pushed the paper to Ian's hands.

"I assume you did that." the girl said softly before taking a bit of her breakfast.  The headline shouted of a theft—a bank robbery.  Ian smirked sideways, pushing the paper back and putting her hand atop Pandora's.

"So?" she chuckled.  Pandora withdrew her hand and frowned.  Ian blinked once and found herself suspended over a pit of spikes.

"A bit cliché, isn't it?" she said calmly.  She pulled her cigarettes from her jeans pocket and lit one.  Smiling knowingly, she let the smoke waft to her left.  A cough rang out and the pit crackled.  It vanished, leaving Ian sitting next to Pandora.  The girl coughed, waving the smoke away.

"I thought we agreed that you don't smoke around me unless a fan is on or a window is open." she protested.  Ian smiled, grinding the cigarette in an ashtray.  She put a finger to Pandora's forehead.  The brown-haired girl stiffened, her green eyes widening.

"We also agreed that you wouldn't put me in an illusion like that." Ian chuckled, "Now, are we agreed again?"  Pandora nodded quickly.  "Good.  I'm going to go wake up Pax and Kris.  I have something to tell all of you."  She stood, picking the cigarette from the tray and lighting it again.

----------

"Hey, lightning butt."

"Go 'way.  Not in the mood this early."

"Nice dream, bucky.  Get up."

"I said go away!"  Kris sat up quickly, his fist ready and sparking.  Ian, however, was holding his wrist steady and pointing a finger to his forehead.  Kris woke up very quickly.

"Shut up, stop sparking, and get downstairs.  Everyone's getting up."

"Is Pax up?"

"Not yet."

"Ah, you always get Pax up last!  Why can't I get those last few minutes?"

"Because you should be able to get up with all that ridiculous electricity in you.  Now get moving."  Kris rolled his brown eyes and shuffled off towards the stairs.  Ian followed him and turned right after leaving the messy room.  She stood leaning against the frame of the next room, smiling at the immaculate room Pax kept.

"Yo, Pax, get up." she called, "Everyone needs to be downstairs, including you.  Now hurry up."  A disheveled brown head poked up from under the blanket, followed closely by a bemused look from blue eyes.  Pax nodded and slid out from under the covers.  Ian strolled downstairs a minute or so later, followed closely by Pax.  Once downstairs, Ian was immediately assaulted by angry questions from Kris.

"What's this about?" he snapped, "What'd you have to get us up at six thirty for?"

"Simple." Ian replied, pushing Kris back by his nose, "You three are going to school."

"Oh no I'm not!" Kris shouted, "I came here 'cause I thought I wasn't going to have to go to school!  You're not my mother!"

"True enough." Ian grabbed the boy by the shoulder and pressed a finger to his forehead once again.  Her tone was colder, more sinister.  "If I was your mother, I would have thrown you to the wolves long ago.  However, you three still need to get through high school.  I arranged for you to go to Bayville High School when you arrived.  Today is your first day.

"And before you whine about not having anything, I bought some things last night.  You can go together in Kris's car.  And if I hear one single rumor about you three having any kind of powers, you're all back out on the streets.  Understood?"

"Yes." was the chorused reply.

"Good.  Nice day to all of you.  Now have breakfast, take some money and get out of here."

----------

"OK, the rules are no touching the stereo, no playing with the window, and no playing around."

"Kris, it's just a car."

"Hey, it's my car!  When you get one, you see how you feel!"

"Can we just go already?"  Kris huffed angrily, but started the car.  He glanced briefly at the directions Ian had written for him before driving off.  Ian sat on the roof of the house, watching them drive away.  She smirked and drew a cigarette from her pocket.  A blackbird landed near her, cawing.

"I hate birds." Ian frowned, lighting the cigarette.  She aimed a finger blindly at the bird and grinned.  Red energy shot from her finger and the bird cawed loudly, barely flapping away in time.

"So, the bird has a brain?" Ian frowned even more, "I don't believe it.  Are you a shapeshifter or just a bird-changer?"  The bird settled down a few more feet away and changed into a blue-skinned woman.

"Shapeshifter by the look of it." the black-haired woman murmured, "Well, what do you want?"

"My name is Mystique.  I'm offering you a safe haven." the red-haired woman said in reply.

"I have one." Ian said, "I'd like to know what you're actually here for."

"That's all I'm here for." Mystique smiled.

"Want me to shoot you?" Ian snapped, "Are you here to recruit me for someone?"

"Listen, I'm just working for a world where mutants will be given the respect and status they deserve." Mystique sighed, "It would be no trouble for someone like you to be respected."

"And feared." Ian took another draw from the cigarette, "Look, lady, I may have split personalities, and one of them may be quite insane, but I'm not going to be stupid enough to try and be accepted by scaring people."

"So you're another sentimental fool, just like Xavier.  I should have known."

"You should have known not to come to my house.  Now leave before I actually bother to aim."  Mystique's yellow eyes narrowed angrily before she turned into a blackbird once more.  Ian sighed and flicked the dead cigarette towards the alleyway.  A burgundy Rolls Royce drove nearer and nearer to her house.  She had a bad feeling this was going to go on all day.

----------

"Hello.  Are you new?"

Pax looked up to the smiling face of a dark-haired boy.  A girl with brown hair that had white streaks accompanied him.  Pax looked nervously to Pandora, his blue eyes searching her green.  She gazed back easily, nodding slightly.

"Um, yes, we are." the boy said in his usual, quiet fashion.

"Well, my name is Kurt Wagner." the dark-haired boy replied, his voice laced with a German accent, "And this is Rogue.  Who are you?  Where are you from?"  Pax swallowed, looking again to Pandora for rescue.  Kris walked over and sat down across from Pax, thumping his lunch tray to the table.

"Man, you should see the jocks in this place." Kris chuckled, twisting open his soda, "Walk around like there's no one better.  I ought to show 'em something better.  Whoa, hello.  Where'd you come from all of a sudden?"  Kurt shook his head to put things back in order.

"My name is Kurt Wagner, and this is Rogue.  We were just talking to your friends here." he said once more.

"Let me take a wild guess here." Kris smirked and pointed at Pax and Pandora, "They were giving you the silent treatment?  Ah, don't worry about it.  They probably like you if they said more than a word to you.  He's Pax, she's Pandora, and my name's Kris.  All three of us just started today."

"If you ever want a friend, you can count on me." Kurt smiled.  Rogue was suddenly shoved into Kurt, both pushed aside by a burly blond boy.  The boy wore a letter jacket and was the very image of the perfect quarterback.  Rogue was livid.

"What's wrong with you, Duncan?" she snapped as the blond boy sank down next to Pandora.

"None of your business, freak." Duncan replied, "Hey, pretty lady.  What're you doing hanging around with this mutant?"  Kris and Pax locked eyes as the boy flopped his arm over Pandora's shoulders.  Kris lowered his hands to his legs to keep the angry sparks from view while Pax made sure to breath evenly.

"Mutant?" Pandora spoke softly, "Rogue, is that true?"

"So what if it is?" Rogue huffed, crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

"I find nothing wrong with that." Pandora replied, "In fact, I find fault with this dunce of a football player.  In fact, I'd like it if he would get his hands the hell off me before I smack him."

"Look, you little punk, if you want to get anywhere here, you'll listen to me and make sure you don't hang out with freaks like the Xavier mutants."  Kris looked to Pandora, raising his eyebrow in question.  She smirked for just a moment and he smiled as well.  Pandora closed her eyes slightly, lifting her hand to rest on Duncan's.

"Well, I don't care much for going places." she murmured, "But I'm sure you love trips."  She gripped his hand by his thumb and twisted backwards.  Duncan turned with his arm and flipped backwards.  His shins banged hard against the table and he bonked his head on the floor.

Kris laughed uproariously, pounding his fist on the table.  Pax grinned rather guiltily and Kurt and Rogue stifled snickers.  Pandora resumed eating her sandwich, smiling in her own small way.

"You're dead." Duncan growled as he stood.

_—to be continued—_


	3. Matters of Trust

Edge

C2: Matters of Trust

[Disclaimer: MARVEL owns "X-Men: Evolution."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Ian and Charles Xavier regarded each other on opposite sides of the door.  Ian did not glance at the burly man standing at Xavier's shoulder.  It was not long before she stepped outside and shut the door.

"Let me guess." she sighed, "You came here to recruit me and the three kids living here."

"I was aware only of the two." Xavier blinked, "Pandora and Kris."

"Well, there is one more." Ian crossed her arms, "His name is Pax.  He can slow time, but he rarely does."

"I see." Xavier nodded, "I'm here to offer you and the three children a place to gain control of your powers."

"Safe haven, right?" Ian chuckled, shrugging her shoulders, "I've already gotten an offer from some lady named Mystique."  The man at Xavier's shoulder snarled, his hands clenching to fists.  "I don't plan to take it, however.  She seemed the type of person that likes to have people fear her."

"You'd be right." Xavier laced his fingers in his lap, "Mystique's idea of mutant acceptance is mutant superiority."

"Listen, my home is here." Ian explained, "I can't speak for Pax, Pandora, or Kris, but I'm not that eager to leave.  I'll relay this to them, and if they want to go, I'll send them to you.  I'm not going to make the choice for them.  They have to decide their own ways."

----------

"Oh, so you're going to try and beat me up." Pandora put her sandwich down and raised an eyebrow at Duncan, "Whatever."  The football player snarled in rage, his hands closing to tight fists.  Pandora stood up and walked to the left.  Duncan, blind with rage, threw a hard left hook and hit Pandora square in the face.  She stumbled back and shuffled to the left again.  Duncan threw a right hook, and Pandora fell.  She stood again and moved once again to the left.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Duncan frowned.  He threw a heavy uppercut and caught Pandora on the chin.  Duncan grinned in self-satisfaction, his eyes closing.

"Duncan, what the hell are you doing?"  The angry shout brought Duncan from his prideful thoughts.  He looked around, finding the three other players that had followed him into the cafeteria on the floor.  They were rubbing the same spots that he had hit Pandora—he could have sworn he smacked her.

"Good heavens man." Pandora frowned, "What's wrong with you?  Been smoking pot much?"  Duncan blinked madly, trying to figure out what exactly had happened.

"But I…I only had something last week." he said.

"What was that?"

Everyone in the cafeteria looked up to see Principal Kelly.  Duncan paled at his admission.  Once he and the three other football players had left with the principal, quite a few people laughed uproariously.

"Much better." Pandora chuckled to herself.

"How on earth did you know he smoked?" Kurt sat down next to Pandora, his gaze incredulous.

"I didn't." she replied with a small smile, "I tricked him."

"Tricked him?" Rogue sat down next to Kris, "How?"

"We're mutants as well." Kris said in a soft whisper.

----------

Ian walked through the fairly empty streets of Bayville, cigarette caught in the corner of her mouth.  She wondered how safe things would be if the three were discovered as mutants.  A soft curse rushed from her lips as she dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it under her heel.

"Christ, this is difficult to understand." she murmured, "It's been forever since I've been even slightly responsible for anything other than me.  That's what I get for being lonely."  She sighed and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket.  It wouldn't be good to sit around and let Kris whine about not having the food he wanted, so she had given the three a bit of paper to make a list.

"Thank god I stole ten thousand dollars last night." Ian laughed softly as she walked into the supermarket.

----------

Many door slams rang out.  Ian glanced up from _Ishmael_ to see how the first day had gone over.  She had purposefully made the three's first day a Friday—just to let things blow over a weekend if school was bad.  The door creaked open.

Ian was suddenly mobbed.  Pax was hugging her for all he was worth and Kris and Pandora were smiling.

"Thank you for making us go to school." Pandora chuckled.  Kris grinned and punched Ian in the shoulder as thanks.

"Yeah." he agreed, "We found a bunch of mutants to hang with.  Sweet."

"…can't…_breathe_!" Ian tried to pry Pax's arms away from her throat, "Nice to know you liked it!  _GACK!_"  Pax finally let go, smiling madly.  Ian took a very large breath, the blue fading from her face.

"If you guys are hungry, I bought that stuff on the list." she said once her lungs decided to work again, "The only drink that's cold is milk though.  Sorry."

"Ah, so?" Kris shrugged, "I can wait to try the power-8 stuff.  I'm not that impatient."

"Huh?" Ian blinked, "I wasn't paying attention."

"For heaven's sake." Pandora shook her head, "You have the attention span of a hamster."

"Yep." Ian chuckled.

----------

Kris nodded his head to the beat of his favorite mix CD as he scratched down answers to his math homework.  He wanted to get the homework out of the way for the weekend.  It was better to bomb around the new town and see where the worthwhile hangouts were.  Pandora and Pax had agreed to go with him, and they were going to pick up Kurt and Rogue to have them show them around.

A knocking on the desk made his hands buzz.  He glanced up to see Ian and pushed off his headphones, pausing the CD.

"What's up?" he asked.

"While I commend your efforts to finish your work, it's getting late." she replied, "If you have plans, you better get some sleep.  You get pretty unruly when you don't."

"All right." Kris nodded, "I only have a few more problems and I'm done."  Ian nodded and walked away, leaving Kris to his work.

----------

"Heh, heh, heh!  Taste sharp metal, stupid pig enemies!"  Ian blinked three times before pausing the game.  It was somewhere near midnight, and the three had gone to bed.  Ian always enjoyed playing video games at night, and even if there were three other people in her house, she wasn't going to break her habit any time soon.  She saved the game quickly, to avoid any loss of game play.

"I need caffeine." she stood up and shook her head at her own strange statement.  A quick look through the refrigerator showed nothing that was of her tastes.  Ian cursed the store she had gone to earlier—they were out of the soda she liked.  The only thing to drink was either water, or the strange power-8 drink Kris had requested.

Ian shrugged and took one of the power-8 bottles.  It couldn't be that bad, she surmised.  Though the marketing was ridiculous, many sport drinks were actually decent in taste.  She twisted the cap off and took a drink.

The plastic bottle hit the ground with a thud, the liquid spilling onto the floor.  Ian stumbled, clutching her throat and bracing herself against the refrigerator.  Her bones seemed to catch fire as her skin froze.  She saw pulsing red and could barely breathe.

"Dammit…" she swore, her head pounding.  A sweat broke on her brow as she reached for the four remaining bottles of the power-8.  They hit the floor as she dashed them from the refrigerator.  A sudden, massive charge ran to her fingertips and energy shots fired from each finger.  They hit the bottles on the ground and flung Ian back with the force.

A jar fell to the floor and shattered, the sound massive in the still of midnight.  Ian leaned against the refrigerator, her legs shaking.  Black was eating her vision, and her body blazed in pain.  Time seemed to slow—she wondered if it was the poison she just unknowingly took or if Pax was playing tricks on her.  Footsteps rushed down the stairs, and the last thing Ian saw before passing out was Pax, Pandora, and Kris rushing towards her.

----------

Rogue glanced up from her book.  Kitty and Kurt were watching a movie, and she had opted to sit in the same room and read.  It was just past midnight.  The southern girl had no idea why there was someone knocking at the door.  She glanced at Kitty and Kurt.  They were completely absorbed in the movie.  Rogue sighed and slipped her bookmark into place before getting up.

The knocking didn't stop for one second and it grew louder and more insistent by the passing minute.  Rogue opened the door, expecting some kind of stupid prank.  She was extremely confused to see Pax, Pandora, and Kris standing there.

"What're you guys doin' here?" she questioned, "You shoulda said if you wanted to go at night."

"Rogue, help." Kris said, shifting arms around his neck.  Rogue grew even more confused—why was Kris carrying someone—a woman—on his back?

"Hey, Rogue, who is it?" Kurt bamfed into the room, "Pandora?  What's the matter?"  Pandora bit her lip nervously, holding Pax up with his arm around her shoulders.  He was holding his breath for all he was worth.  His hand lay on the woman's shoulder.  His breath escaped him and he gasped, his hand dropping.

"Something happened to Ian." Pandora whispered.

_—to be continued—_


End file.
